I am sure Katie has seen the results of Tom & Nicole's kids, both becoming Scientologists. I think their daughter just married a Scientologist too. Katie no doubt saw what happened to Nicole's relationship w/her kids, as Nicole didn't take to Scientology. Katie doesn't want that to happen to her and her daughter.
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes split due to religious fears!
by mind blown 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
mind blown
LOS ANGELES | Mon Jul 2, 2012 8:49pm EDT
(Reuters) - Actress Katie Holmes faces two strong adversaries in her legal fight for sole custody of 6-year-old daughter, Suri, as she battles estranged husband Tom Cruise and his Scientology religion, experts said on Monday.
The "Dawson's Creek" actress, 33, made headlines last week when she filed for divorce from "Mission: Impossible" actor Cruise after nearly six years of marriage and one child.
While Holmes, Cruise and representatives for both have remained quiet about the reasons for the high-profile split, speculation in the media is that Suri, now at the age when she begins a formal education, and the Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a key member, are central to the breakup.
"What's interesting is that there's three players in this case - the mother, the father and this very controversial concept of Scientology," said New York-based divorce lawyer Lubov Stark.
"The daughter is in the middle of this whole divorce. She seems to have been raised in Scientology up to this age, so if the judge comes in and gives custody to Katie Holmes, she can change (Suri's) religion," Stark said.
The Church of Scientology was founded by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, and it describes its practices as a religion. The organization believes man is an immortal being whose experience extends beyond one lifetime, and it has attracted followers including Cruise and John Travolta.
But some observers - including media mogul Rupert Murdoch - liken it to a cult. Critics think the group coerces followers to think like they do, and they accuse Scientologists of harassing people who seek to quit.
On Sunday, following last week's news of Holmes' divorce filing, Murdoch took to Twitter and called Scientology "a very weird cult" and Scientologists "creepy, maybe even evil."
SCIENTOLOGY AND THE MEDIA
"Scientology is a potentially unsafe, if not dangerous, organization," said Rick Ross, a New Jersey-based expert on cults and controversial movements who has served as an expert witness in court cases.
"I've received complaint after complaint over the years from former members."
Ross said Holmes' custody battle could hinge on whether Cruise decides to fight Holmes for custody of Suri and how much information comes out about Scientology practices, which the Church may not find in its interest.
Representatives for the Church did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Ross said it is unlikely the Church would get directly involved in the custody battle as it could bring negative publicity, but he believed members could leak information to "intimidate or discredit" Holmes.
Lawyer Stark said custody proceedings will differ substantially depending on whether they take place in New York, where Holmes filed, or California if Cruise can get the case moved to the state in which he resides.
In California, Stark said the courts presume joint custody, leading to a greater likelihood a judge would give both Holmes and Cruise the ability to make decisions for Suri.
"If the judge says they should have joint custody in California, then Katie would not have the ability to take Suri out of this religion altogether," said Stark.
In New York, the courts look at the best interests of a child and who's going to make decisions and care for the youngster. In that case, a judge might be asked to consider Cruise's religion, although the possibility appears remote.
"Religion can always come into it, but it's rare for a custody battle," said Josh Forman, a matrimonial attorney and partner at Chemtob Moss Forman & Talbert in New York.
Like Ross, Forman believed any negative publicity from a long trial might lead to a private settlement.
"I don't think it would be very good for Tom's career if he is seen as having a huge, dragged-out custody battle with Katie. I think they should really settle, and I see this as settling."
-
mind blown
Following the news that Katie Holmes reportedly blindsided Tom Cruise by filing for divorce last week, the burning question is what went wrong between the couple, whose relationship at one time was so passionate that Cruise was literally jumping up and down on national television about it. Numerous reports link the split to Cruise's devotion to Scientology, stating that Holmes, 33, became concerned for the welfare of their 6-year-old daughter, Suri, as the girl's involvement with the controversial religion was set to increase. Holmes' divorce papers, seeking sole custody, spoke volumes.
According to TMZ, Holmes is divorcing Cruise in part because she believed he planned to send Suri away from home to a hardcore Scientology association known as Sea Organization. "Sea Org, as it is known, is where the highest levels of Scientology are taught and kids as young as five can be sent to live there ... without their parents — and our sources say Tom is a big fan," states the website. "The Sea Org has been often compared to a boot camp and several ex-Scientologists (including Oscar winner Paul Haggis) have been outspoken against its military-like conditions."
When Holmes and Cruise started dating, they couldn't keep their hands off each other (Getty Images)The official Scientology website has a different description for the group, which it calls "the singularly most dedicated Scientologists," who "have committed their lives to the volunteer service of their religion." Established in 1967, the Sea Organization once operated from a number of ships, but today the majority of the 5,000 members are based on land — though they still "wear maritime-style uniforms and have ranks and ratings." The Scientology boat Freewinds — on which Cruise celebrated his 42nd birthday during a party that cost an estimated $300,000 — is operated by members of Sea Org.
[Related: Tom Cruise's three marriages: the rundown]
"As volunteers and members of a religious order, Sea Organization members work long hours and live communally with housing, meals, uniforms, medical and dental care, transport, and all expenses associated with their duties provided by the church," states the Scientology website. "They also receive an allowance to purchase personal items, as all of their other expenses are fully covered by the church." Minor children are permitted to voluntarily join with the consent of a parent and schooling is provided, but the children also work. However, the website emphasizes: "The Church of Scientology adheres to all child labor laws and no underage Sea Organization members are permitted to perform tasks or to work hours longer than permitted by law."
Although Scientologists deny there is any wrongdoing in relation to the group, there have been numerous reports stating that conditions for children within the organization — who, according to the Scientology website, are made to sign "a one-billion-year pledge to symbolize their eternal commitment to the religion" — are less than optimal. "Crash" screenwriter/director Haggis, who was a member of the church, has said that allegations of abuse of the children were partially behind the reason he left Scientology after 34 years. In a 26-page article in The New Yorker, he said he heard about horror stories from men and women who joined Sea Org before turning 18. “They were 10 years old, 12 years old, signing billion-year contracts — and their parents go along with this?” Haggis said. “Scrubbing pots, manual labor — that so deeply touched me. My God, it horrified me!” In the same article, a former employee claimed to have worked 15-hour days as a teenager, seeing her parents only two times between the ages of 12 and 18. Another said he earned $17 a week for his work, and resided in living quarters that were so lacking that his room didn't even have a door knob.
In Holmes' divorce filing, she says her marriage ended six months ago -- prior to when this photo was taken at an Oscar party in February (Getty Images)Outside of that, the website Ex-Scientology Kids, which was started by three women who had grown up in the church but later left, has a forum where many people share stories of mistreatment. Additionally, in 2010, a former Scientologist named Keryn (she didn't disclose her last name) went public with her story, claiming she was a "child slave" for Sea Org in the 1960s. Her mother was a high-ranking Scientologist and at the age of 12 Keryn started working on one of the church's ships, where the church's elite followers stay and study, before her grandmother helped her escape at the age of 13. "When we were on the ship, we had people working 20 hours a day, seven days a week," she told Australia's ABC News. "A lot of the children hadn't seen their parents for months, and their parents were on the same ship." She also alleges that she saw a 6-year-old boy chained up by the leg in a ship's hold for days. "He was fed, but he was chained," she said.
Even if Suri doesn't join the hardcore Sea Org, there are apparently concerns Holmes has about the religion in general, specifically "security checking," an interrogation process in which an ethics officer asks about 100 questions to children, starting at age 6. Questions range from "What has somebody told you not to tell?" to "Have you ever bullied a smaller child?" The Village Voice spoke with Marc Headley, who grew up in Scientology but left in 2005, about sec checking. "You get conditioned to tell them everything they want to know," he said. "It's all just information gathering." His wife, Claire, added: "I was sec checked when I was 7… I can think of numerous minors who received sec checking. It's probably more prominent in the Sea Org, but I don't think it was limited to the SO."
[Related: Suri Cruise: Six Years of Style (Photos)]
Our calls to a spokesperson for Scientology International were not returned.
Holmes is seeking sole legal custody and primary residential custody of Suri, a move that ensures she'll be able to make decisions on the girl's education and religion choices. At the time her divorce became public on June 29, her lawyer, Jonathan Wolfe, said in a statement that "Katie's primary concern remains, as it has always been, her daughter's best interest." The lawyer declined comment on this story.
When Cruise ended his marriage to Nicole Kidman, who like Holmes was raised Catholic, their two children continued down the road of Scientology with Isabella attending Delphian School, a boarding school in Oregon run by the church. Since her divorce, Kidman has rarely been seen with Bella or her son Connor and says very little about their upbringing. However, in 2007 Kidman revealed to the UK-edition of Marie Claire that the children opted to live with Cruise in Los Angeles. "When children are teenagers, they have a say in where they want to be," she said. As for their upbringing, "Yes, they're being raised as Scientologists," she said, adding: "I don't want to go there."
Kidman (pictured here in 2004) is rarely seen with her two elder children, Connor and Isabella Cruise (Getty Images)Rumor has it that Cruise will soon be filing his own divorce papers, seeking joint custody of Suri. For now, Cruise — whose lawyer said was "deeply saddened" by the divorce news (his lawyer didn't reply to a request for comment on this story) — is filming his thriller “Oblivion” in Iceland and getting ready for this 50th birthday on July 3. Meanwhile, Holmes seems to be regaining her independence. According to People, the actress has fired her soon-to-be ex-husband's security team and is living in a new apartment in New York City. The magazine also reports that earlier today, Holmes kept her previously scheduled appearance on the Lifetime reality fashion competition "Project Runway: All Stars.” She attended the taping at Parsons The New School of Design in Manhattan.
-
Dogpatch
The most effective crush to Scientology would be the testimony of Nicole Kidman and/or Katie Holmes. Travolta I'm sure would love to leave it but has had too much bad publicity on his own life.
Get those women on a major talk show doing a tell-all on Miscavige and it will bring his kingdom to the ground.
Dogz
-
skeeter1
Personally, I'd rather Travolta be a confessed homosexual then a wacko scientologist. At least gays are straight in the head.
Did you see the news today? Katie Holmes consulted with Nicole Kidman. Nicole Kidman shared advice. That's BAD ARSE when the ex-wife helps the current wife!
Skeeter
-
skeeter1
SCIENTOLOGY TRIED TO PICK TOM CRUISE'S GIRLFRIEND (TALK ABOUT CULT CONTROL)
Tom Cruise’s girlfriends were said by The New York Daily News yesterday to have been auditioned by his controversialScientology church. In an interview appearing in October’s issue of Vanity Fair, reporter Maureen Orth claims actresses who were involved in the church were interviewed about a training film, but were in fact being vetted as a love connection for Tom Cruise.
Several sources said the Scientology church devised an elaborate scheme to select a proper girlfriend for actor Tom Cruise, perhaps their most famous member. Actresses aligned with the secretive organization thought they were being auditioned for a new Scientology training film, but were instead asked a series of odd questions such as, “What do you think of Tom Cruise”?, according to former church member Marc Headley.
Tom Cruise's Scientology church apparently tightly controlled his three month relationship with this young actress back in 2004. Photo credit: Getty A Scientologist from the age of seven, Headley claims to have watched many of the audition video tapes while heading the church’s in-house studio. “It’s not like you only have to please your husband - you have to toe the line for Scientology”, he added. This audition project was reportedly spearheaded by Shelly Miscavige, wife of Scientology head David Miscavige.
Headley told the magazine that actresses Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz conflicted with the church and David Miscavige, and that you can’t do anything to displease them because Tom Cruise will freak out. Representatives for Scientology deny the audition story saying it’s just a product of, “disgruntled apostates”.
The piece goes on to describe one particular actress and the selection process she endured before embarking on a three month relationship with Cruise. British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi tells Orth how she was auditioned back in 2004. According to The New Daily News she was allegedly ordered to change her hair color, get rid of her braces, dump her boyfriend and swear to secrecy before dating Cruise.
Starting in October 2004 Nazanin was audited daily by a high-ranking church member during which she had to reveal her innermost secrets and all the details of her sex life. She was shown confidential auditing files of her boyfriend in order to expedite her breaking up with him. Boniadi then had to sign a confidentiality agreement and was informed is she screwed up in any way, she’d be declared a Suppressive Person, which is an outcast of the Scientology church.
Each day of her relationship with Tom, Boniadi spents hours purging herself of any negative thoughts about him. She said she felt completely isolated and noted that her only source of money was a Cruise production company-issued credit card.
Boniadi said that when she finally confided in another church member about her relationship with Tom Cruise, something she was forbidden from doing, the other turned her in to church officials. Her punishment was to scrub toilets with a toothbrush at the Scientology Center she was staying at in Florida. She also had to clean bathroom tiles with acid and dig ditches in the middle of the night. Finally she was forced to peddle Scientology bible “Dianetics” by church founder L. Ron Hubbard on street corners.
The church informed her in January of 2005 that her relationship with Cruise was over citing, “He wants someone with her own power”. Someone like Nicole Kidman they told her.
Boniadi and her mother are no longer affiliated with the Scientology church. Watch a video clip above of Tom Cruise through the years as he celebrated birthday number 50 recently.
Suggested by the author:
When Holmes and Cruise started dating, they couldn't keep their hands off each other (Getty Images)
In Holmes' divorce filing, she says her marriage ended six months ago -- prior to when this photo was taken at an Oscar party in February (Getty Images)
Kidman (pictured here in 2004) is rarely seen with her two elder children, Connor and Isabella Cruise (Getty Images)